


Birthday

by clockwork_spider



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Character Study, Gen, overcoming indoctrination, passive-aggressive kindness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 21:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9680528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clockwork_spider/pseuds/clockwork_spider
Summary: “Profe-Leo, when is your birthday?” The boy, Dennis Macfield, asked, with a bit of a tense reservation in his smile.---Dennis, Leo. Post-canon. About overcoming conditioned fear.





	

It was rare for one of his old students to speak to him. He’d never been good to them. And, for the most part, he never quite knew how to behave around them, nor them around him. Most of them tended to avoid him. Macfield, in particular, had always feared him. It was strange for the child to ask for his birthday, especially since he couldn’t possibly be fond of him. 

“I don’t celebrate birthdays,” he answered. He was too old for it. Though there was a time he made attempts to remember the birthday of his wife and son. 

_(He doesn’t remember Ray’s, for all he tried. He remembered the way she looked when she was born, all wrinkly and small, how tightly the little fingers held onto his own. But he couldn’t remember the date.)_

“But you were born,” the boy’s smile widened, showing teeth. It was a strange mix of forced casualness and conditioned respectfulness. Leo never really knew what to do with it. 

“Yes,” said Leo. 

“I’d like to know, that’s all,” said the boy. Forced smile faltering. 

For all its worth, Leo never understood kids. But he saw no reason to withhold information. 

* * *

It was another day. A regular day. And the boy, Dennis, came up to him. 

“Happy birthday, Leo,” the boy said, with a smile. It was less of a well-wish, but more of a declaration, cold, guarded, and tense. There was no humour there, but a kind of determination. 

Perhaps, through acknowledging his birthday, the child could confirm that he, Leo Akaba, once-Professor, was a mere human, who was born, who ages. And by wishing him a happy birthday, the boy was bringing Leo down to his own level. 

“Thank you,” Leo said, and made his own face form a smile. He didn’t care for birthdays, but perhaps accepting the wish was the least he could do. 

He got no less than 20 cold “Happy Birthdays” from his former students that day, and had no choice but to acknowledge each of them. 


End file.
